Chaos unfolded on the streets of North Seattle this afternoon as a driver's reckless behavior led to a multi-vehicle collision. According to the Seattle Police Department's Blotter, just past the lunch hour, an erratic driver went through a red light and wreaked havoc at the intersection of Aurora Avenue North and North 130th Street.
The incident occurred at approximately 1:30 p.m., when multiple vehicles were found by patrol officers, one of which was an overturned van. Responding to the crash with urgency, the Seattle Fire Department treated several injured, ranging from a six-year-old child to a 63-year-old adult, the latter being trapped inside the overturned van, and the woman said to have caused the collision. After initial treatment on the scene, the injured were transported to local hospitals for further care.
Preliminary investigations by the police suggest that the driver was experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis while driving. She drove northbound on Aurora in the bus lane before hitting another car and causing the multi-vehicle crash. The police also uncovered that there had been multiple calls to 911 about the erratic driving before the accident happened.
Despite the commotion and potential risk to public safety, the police did not arrest the driver; instead, she was taken to Harborview Medical Center for evaluation. The driver, whose name has not been released, was cited for multiple traffic violations, including running the red light that precipitated the pile-up. Traffic at the scene was a snarl but returned to normal nearly two hours later after crews cleared the accident.
